COMPOSITION ANALYSIS CASE STUDY – SOUTH AYRSHIRE COUNCIL
South Ayrshire Council required an analysis of their waste streams to address local information needs and help Zero Waste Scotland to produce national estimates of household waste composition.
The local authority operates regular collection services of residual waste, food waste, dry mixed recyclables and garden waste from 59,000 households in the area. Residual waste is collected on a three-weekly basis, with dry mixed recycling such as plastic, metal and carton collected separately from paper and card every four weeks. Food waste is collected weekly, with glass collected every six weeks.
SOUTH AYRSHIRE COUNCIL AND ZERO WASTE SCOTLAND
South Ayrshire Council received funding from Zero Waste Scotland to complete a waste composition analysis (WCA) of the household waste streams collected by the Council. They needed to assess the varying types of waste being deposited in their bins in order to determine the success of their current waste collection schemes and for future operational modelling.
Without evidence of the type of waste being disposed of via the residual waste and metals, plastics and carton collections, South Ayrshire Council could not propose the changes necessary to improve collections and operations.
EXPERT COMPOSITION ANALYSIS
Alfred H Knight was chosen by South Ayrshire Council through the Zero Waste Scotland framework to carry out an analysis of residual waste, metals, plastics & carton collections from 250 households across 5 demographic groups.
As an industry-leading inspection and testing company, we worked in partnership with South Ayrshire Council to deliver clear and concise reporting on the composition of their domestic waste streams.
Paul Dougall, Coordinator of Neighbourhood Services at South Ayrshire said:
“The service provided by AHK enabled us to see that there was a significant quantity of food waste being disposed of in residual waste, despite a weekly food waste collection being in place. This information will shape and inform future collections and communication campaigns throughout the local area conducted by the Waste Team at South Ayrshire Council.”
SWIFT AND ACCURATE RESULTS
Our local, full-time and highly qualified experts were able to provide data relating to material makeup in all waste streams, as well as contamination rates in the recycling waste streams. We delivered the results of the composition analysis in a swift and accurate manner, helping South Ayrshire to qualify the changes needed.
Alfred H Knight is committed to providing expert waste composition analysis, irrespective of the scale or location. We tailor our service to meet the needs of the clients to ensure that they always receive the best value for their money. Get in touch with an expert today to see how our experts can help you.